I've been a student at Ichen Art Academy for over 4 years now, and needless to say, I've grown a…read morelot within my passion because of the instruction I received at this school. I came in with a love for art, but little knowledge in the technical aspects. Through Ichen's summer programs, I got to explore many different media including charcoal, oil painting, and digital. The academy's instructors are very well educated in the arts and provide a plethora of resources and materials to help me succeed. They provided guidance in composition, technique, color, etc. while motivating me to enter my art into competitions... ultimately which I won a few! Ryan, Ichen Art Academy's Artist in Residence, has provided me with fantastic support over the years. I got a perfect balance of instruction and freedom to allow for the full expression of my artistry. I never felt bored or unmotivated because the instructors constantly provide me with ideas and recommendations when I'm stuck. My AP and college application portfolios both contributed largely to my successful MIT and Harvard application processes, and I am forever indebted to my time at Ichen for this accomplishment.

Really good art school. All teachers are professional, knowledgable and nice. They are…read moreexperienced and tenured in their teaching, and have enough knowledge to know how to work with your child(ren) and help them improve. A nice clean facility also promotes learning. Additionally, I really appreciate how they are willing to work with you on your schedule --- and to accommodate make up classes as necessary. Highly Recommended!

Our family has been part of Dublin Robotics' journey for nearly 10 years, since its inception, and…read morethe experience has been truly rewarding. My older son developed strong engineering, problem-solving, and cognitive skills through designing and building robots. The program strengthened his foundation in STEM while also helping him develop essential soft skills, including teamwork, leadership, communication, and social confidence. My younger son currently attends Dublin Robotics and is also completing an internship there. He speaks highly of the program's thoughtful structure and supportive environment. The instructors nurture each student's individual abilities and build confidence through engaging curricula in robotics, drones, artificial intelligence, and autonomous robot development. Dublin Robotics also gives students opportunities to challenge themselves through multiple levels of competition, including state, national, and world championships. As a parent, I wholeheartedly recommend Dublin Robotics to other families. It is an excellent place for children to explore STEM, discover their potential, develop lifelong skills, and become confident future innovators.

Our son has had a bad experience here.  He says that he gets a piece of paper to work off of, and…read morethe coaches come by every once in awhile and ask if it is ok, and that is about the extent of the coaching.  He has had problems with parts missing from his project as other students take things out of his bin when they can't find something.  They are usually the high demand parts, so he has a really tough time replacing them.  When he asks the coaches, they tell him to go look for the part, and he spends a good portion of the time looking for parts as they don't provide it for him.   He says when he has a question, several other smaller kids interrupt, and the coach's attention gets scattered, and they don't answer his question ultimately.   So, all in all, he is not able to make much progress week to week.  I was shocked, as the per lesson cost of this program is almost the price of private music or tennis instruction, that he would get so little attention and help.  Something so simple as the low availability of parts is something that could be managed, and there should be enough coaches to answer the kids' questions. I had asked about the competition path last summer and was told our son had to learn the basics for about a year first. When we said we would like to cancel, all of a sudden, this competition "class" was an option. I suspect that this basically operates like a daycare with legos for most, and all the actual coaching gets saved for the few kids in competition.

It's very crowded!! There's at least 4 classes rotating through at the same time. The instructors…read morearen't able to really teach because there are so many kids at one time nor are they able to spot the younger ones during difficult new techniques. Also, the instructors ALWAYS look unhappy and have a sullen attitude. They don't make any effort to discipline misbehaving students either. They do the bare minimum with a very grumpy look apparent on their faces. They're nice over email and scheduling but it's way too crazy and crowded. The coaches attitudes don't help either. Lots of other places for the same price with a more positive, professional and supportive staff that smile!

I was looking for something physical for my daughter to do and thought gymnastics would be a good…read morefit. When I inquired with Kazio about their ability/willingness to work with neurodivergent kids, I was told it was definitely an option; my daughter just needed to be evaluated to see if she would benefit from a private lesson or could do a group lesson. During the evaluation, I thought for sure my daughter would need a private lesson; NOPE I was SUPER excited because it meant the coaches are really willing/able to work with a neurodivergent kiddo AND my daughter could be with her peers. All of the coaches here are fantastic! My daughter really loves coach Malik and coach Madison; they are great with her, ESPECIALLY Madison! Madison is patient, encouraging, understanding and helps my daughter believe in herself. Although my daughter hasn't progressed like many neurotypical kiddos her age, she has made progress her way and I'm very PROUD of her! Every week my daughter looks forward to gymnastics and can't get out of the car fast enough to run into class. Thank you so much to ALL of the coaches, especially Madison!!!!!

Marc definitely knows what he is doing. As his student for over 4 months I learned a lot from his…read moreVolleyball instruction. As a professional teacher he would initially evaluate your knowledge of volleyball and note the areas that each individual needs to work on. Then he would start from working on the basic techniques one needs to develop and improve, and finally put those together. So, even if you think you know how to play Volleyball, you can still learn that you can do even more and possibly realize that you don't know how to play when having Marc as a rival in one of the training matches. My personal experience shows that I have improved my competitive team play over the last 4 months from a total beginner to one of the most formidable players in the corporate league there is. So if you think that team play is in the future of you or your kids, you should most certainly try Marc's instructions and insights. -George

Our six year old son has been enrolled in Marc's group basketball class for several months. He was…read morethe youngest child in the class and, in the beginning, he was a bit discouraged. Given his small stature, he found it difficult to put the ball into a 10 foot basket. However, Marc provided endless encouragement and motivation. One fine day, he finally put the ball in the basket! Not prepared to rest on his laurels, our son proceeded to come home and practice shooting hoops for two hour straight. He was able to get a total of 54 baskets! Not only does he love basketball and practice quite a bit, but he has come to love watching the NBA on TV having a greater appreciation of these amazing athletes. I have to say that I had my doubts in the beginning, but I'm glad I kept the faith because it paid off. I could not recommend Marc more highly.

We recently booked Mad Science Bay Area for my son's 7th birthday, and it was a fantastic…read moreexperience from start to finish. The booking process was seamless, I filled out the online form and had a confirmation within 1-2 days. Our Mad Scientist, Jordan (Plazma Petey), contacted me the day before to nail down the final logistics, which really put my mind at ease. On the day of the party, he arrived 30 minutes early to set up and was ready to go right on time. I have never seen a group of 1st grade boys so captivated! Jordan was high energy, charismatic, and had them laughing, shouting out answers, and asking great questions the entire time. Even the parents were leaning in and enjoying the show. To top it off, the kids got to make magic dough to take home. I had so many parents ask where I found them because they were so impressed. Highly recommend Mad Science and specifically Jordan!

So excited to find Mad Science did Birthday Parties! I sent my son there 20+ years ago for…read moreafterschool daycare and now my granddaughter will get to join in the fun for her 8th birthday party! Booking, paying, extra experiments all goes well! It's the night before the party and Cosmic Chris texts me at 10pm to go over details??? WHAT?!?! I'm in bed after 3 long days of cleaning and prepping for said party!! The texts got pretty ugly with Cosmic Chris dictating to me what time he'd be AT MY HOME instead of what time I paid him to show up. I'm beyond furious and now don't know if this company will even show up, what type of attitude I'll have to deal with or how my granddaughter will be treated. I've already reached out to the lady I booked with...so hoping this won't be an issue...but I'm just flabbergasted at how this even got here with Cosmic Chris!!!

I'm deeply touched and would like to share my journey with YangFan. We moved to Dublin in 2017 and…read moreenrolled with YangFan right away. At the time, my daughter was in first grade and my son was just starting preschool. We had a wonderful experience there. Today, I especially want to share something meaningful. When COVID hit, I brought my children home in 2021, and we have not returned to YangFan since then because I have been working from home and have been able to care for them myself. We still had a couple thousand dollars remaining in our account. Recently, I thought of YangFan again, and I was amazed to learn that YangFan still allowed me to use those funds after six years. That was truly wonderful and far beyond my expectations. Thank you so much, YangFan

My daughter Evelyn started summer camp at YF in July after she graduated from her Montessori…read morepreschool. Evelyn loved camp and we are now continuing with the after school program. YF has been great with her transportation and contacting us daily when she arrives, along with providing other updates and photos. The available lunch there is also so helpful. Dominic the coordinator has been great, as well as all of the teachers. We also love all the extra activities available, such as the clay art. I was so impressed when Evelyn brought this home, lol.

Our 6 and 8 year old have attended this camp 2 years in a row now, and on the last day, my older…read moreone told Ms Sandra (without prompting), we're definitely signing up next year! Ms Sandra and her team put together an incredible, thoughtful, and fun curriculum. The staff genuinely loves engaging each kid and it's clear this is a labor of love for the whole team, down to the wonderfully crafted binder that goes home with each child at the end of the week, complete with pictures, worksheets, and art projects. What a gem to have in Castro Valley!

Our child had such an incredible experience at Sandra and team's STEM camp that we're already…read morelooking forward to next year. Every day's variety of activities kept my child engaged and looking forward to hanging with new friends. I felt comforted knowing my kiddo looked forward to the experience every day. We actually did two out of the two weeks they offer and plan on doing that again!

I signed my two boys (4 yr old and 5 yr old) for spring break camp and thank god they loved it!…read more I chose GrowFit because it is sports focused and I figured it would be suitable for my active boys. It was my first time signing my kids up for a spring break camp so I felt a bit nervous about how they would react to a new environment. My worries were immediately put to rest when I saw the fun interactions my kids had with coach John upon them leaving after the first day. With a big smile on his face, my boy was saying "you are the best!" back and forth with coach John. After returning home, they shared with me how much they liked playing football, basketball, tags, jumping house, and golf. I am thankful that the team at GrowFit took great care of my boys. Thank you and I highly recommend their camp program!

This camp was very misleading. I enrolled my son in the 6-9 soccer camp and all sports camp (9:00…read moreAM-4:00 PM), expecting structured soccer instruction. Instead, the day typically didn't start until 9:30 AM and was essentially over by 3:30 PM, with kids sitting around waiting for pickup. On the first day, one coach kicked a ball into my son's head and then disappeared for the rest of the week. My son came home every day saying he learned no soccer skills because there was little to no coaching. They didn't even play soccer on the last day. Most activities were random games unrelated to soccer. Afternoons consisted mainly of crafts, Legos, and a bounce house--fun activities, but not what was advertised. The check-in process was also disorganized. The receptionist repeatedly struggled to find my son's registration because she was confused about first and last names, despite his information being clearly visible in the system. She claims everyone makes mistake and that's ok, please tell this to your boss, not me. This camp has potential, but it is poorly managed and does not deliver what it promises. Updated based on Russ's feedback - the name in the system was correct because when your receptionist can't find it and handed me the iPad, I was able to look it up and it looks right. However, looks like it was sorted by first name but she asked for last name. I understand it was supposed to be very structured, but during class, it was not the case. My son even asked the coach to teach him how to kick and shoot better but the coach ignored him.

Words cannot describe how amazing Julie is as a riding instructor. Her teaching style is tailored…read moreto each rider; there's no set deadline or timing. That's what I loved most about her program-- she truly personalizes her lessons to fit your progress. One of her best skills is that she is acutely in tune with your form, comfort level, and confidence. She is so good at understanding how the human body interacts with the horse so when you're learning the fundamentals, you're learning it from an almost anatomical perspective. I originally started out at a different equestrian center but the instructor there made me feel anxious and unsure every time. I carried a lot of that over to Julie's lessons where I had to unlearn a lot of bad habits. In my almost year of riding under her guidance, I've learned proper techniques and gained back my confidence. Julie has the innate ability to make you feel safe and secure when riding. I love that she teaches to build confidence so you can master the technical skills. If you are ever thinking about horseback riding but scared to try it, get a lesson with Julie. An instructor like her is one of a kind.

I've been a client of Julie's for over 7 years and would recommend it to anyone! Julie teaches her…read moreriders in a safe and effective way while customizing each lesson to you and your horse. She is more then willing to help with special needs and lives on the property, so your horses are never out of her care. I have a crazy schedule and she is always able to fit my lessons in - even if they're at 8pm. Not to mention Creek Hill is a drama free, fun barn - something that is hard to find in the equestrian world!! A true hidden gem!